Single serve beverage cups or pods for use in single serve beverage brewers and dispensers, such as K-Cup® pods manufactured by Keurig®, have been widely accepted for their convenience. Conventional single serve pods are comprised of a plastic container having a filter element and a region below the filter element whereby filtered liquid can be extracted. A solid beverage media, such as coffee grounds or tea solid media, is placed within the filter region with a foil lid sealing the contents. To extract and brew the contents, the single serve pod is typically placed into a holder portion of a brewing machine, the holder portion typically having an upper penetrating liquid delivery needle and a lower extraction needle. Typically a handle is used to close a cover of the holder portion over the single serve pod, which causes both an upper penetrating liquid delivery needle and a lower extraction needle to penetrate the single serve pod. Heated liquid is then typically pumped by the brewing machine through the delivery needle, where it interacts with the contents of the single serve pod to form an extracted beverage. The extracted beverage is then urged through the filter element of the single serve pod to a lower compartment of the single serve pod as a brewed beverage. The brewed beverage media is dispensed through the lower extraction needle into a receptacle placed below the holder portion of the brewing machine.
Several disadvantages are associated with conventional single serve pods regarding freshness, cost to produce, consistency in flavor, and waste. For example in the case of coffee grounds, prior to packing, the grounds must be stored to reduce the effects of off-gassing once sealed, which effectively prevents coffee grounds from being packaged freshly in single serve pods. Also, conventional single serve pods utilize an additional element (e.g., a filter element) to prevent solid beverage media such as coffee grounds from passing through the lower extraction needle. This added component (e.g., the filter element) increases the pod's cost and creates an additional item of waste. Also, an additional separate compartment is provided in the single serve pod below the filter element, to keep the lower extraction needle from penetrating the filter element. Providing the separate compartment adds additional material, cost, and waste to be disposed of to the conventional single serve pod. Further, retail packaging is relatively large to accommodate the additional components and depth of conventional single serve pods as described above, which involves additional retail shelf space and shipping cost based on the relatively large retail packaging.
Further for example, liquid having a specific temperature range is maintained by the brewing machine in order for the conventional extraction process to work properly, which causes the beverages to be dispensed hot for the process to operate suitably. Variations in the specific temperature range may negatively affect flavor. Also, proper extraction involves homogeneously mixing a liquid with a beverage media. Variations in saturation rates and exposure times of the mixing, though, may negatively affect consistency of flavor of the dispensed beverage. Additionally, construction and contents of conventional single serve pods are difficult to recycle without taking additional steps to prepare for recycling, such as removal of the lid of the pod, removal and disposal of used beverage media that can be messy for a user to attempt, and removal and disposal of the filter element.
Conventional techniques for providing single serve pods are unsuitable for shelf-stable liquid concentrates to be used. For example, to work in conventional single serve brewers, a pod having liquid concentrate is appropriately sized to reach the lower extraction needle of conventional brewing machines, thereby involving additional material and/or concentrate, which increases cost. Such additional material takes up valuable warehouse and retail shelf space, adds to shipping costs, and creates additional waste. Also, in conventional brewing machines, penetration of the pod by the lower extraction needle immediately dispenses liquid concentrate contained within the pod due to gravity prior to the brew process being initiated. Accordingly, if a user inserts a conventionally-designed liquid concentrate single serve pod into a conventional brewing machine and closes the brewing machine before a receptacle such as a cup is placed under the dispensing portion, unbrewed liquid concentrate will leak out and create a mess and also render the single serve pod ineffective. For example, a leak may occur once the single serve pod is punctured by the brewing machine, and before operation of the brewing process begins.
U.S. Patent Publication Number US2014/0106055A1 (“the '055 publication”) attempts to address some of the above shortcomings. The '055 publication discloses use of a stabilizing gum intended to increase viscosity and prevent leaking when placed into a brewing machine. However, this approach creates an additional component to be used in each single serve pod, which creates additional costs. Further, the stabilizing gum may negatively affect a texture of a brewed beverage (e.g., as perceived by some consumers). Also, the added viscosity and pressure involved in dispensing a beverage using the pod having stabilizing gum may impair or ultimately reduce the service life of a brewing machine. Further, brewing machine needles may form a gummy residue involving frequent cleaning or maintenance over time. Also, for the process of the '055 publication to work correctly, a viscosity is matched to the orifice size of the extraction needle, which may lead to the single serve pods using the method of the '055 publication being incompatible with brewing machines made by some manufacturers. Also for example, the single serve pods of the '055 publication may be of a similar size as conventional pods, and accordingly may not reduce an amount of waste associated with conventional pods.
The exemplary disclosed method and apparatus is directed to overcoming one or more of the shortcomings set forth above and/or other deficiencies in existing technology.